Even angels fall from the sky
by rukiagiugiu
Summary: AU with ichirukia centered. Theme of the story: She was an angel. He was a demon. She was bent to spend eternity in Heaven, while he was damned to disappear in 2 days. How could God grant them the possibility of spending eternity together?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer : I'm only going to say this once and i won't bother repeating it with every new chapter i post, so remember it well : I do NOT own Bleach, ONLY this story. Have fun reading it and please review. Constructive criticism is apreciated.

Chapter 1

In an age, when there was nothing left but ashes and dust, when all the world seemed to come to an end and all humanity seemed to linger on the precipice of death, when all hope seemed to have gone with the wind …she was born: a beautiful child, a child of eternity, a child of hope and immeasurably beauty, with soft, silky raven hair, red lips that could steal your heart away in a blink of an eye and a softness in heart, that could melt down the coldest ice-berg.

It must have been the middle of January when that had happen, though the bitter image of earth, as it was now, couldn't resemble anything close to it, as it was all falling apart. Somewhere in the great, deep universe, somewhere between where the deep, blue ocean came to make love to the sky's endless horizon, a soul, as pure as heart as winter's gentle snowdrop, came to life. An angel was born and her name to be…was Rukia.

Hundreds of years had past since an angel had last came to see eternity, but as the end came fiercely near, the most unexpected thing had happen…and that was she. Her parents, if they could be called in such a manner, two of the most powerful angels in that time, made a promise to the sky that, if there was any hope left to save the earth, they would give their lives to do so. And they did…

On a cold winter's day, when the gates of Heaven were once again attacked by the demons of Hell, they stood alone in front of them, with their bare purity, hoping that they would be able to stop them. Blood was raining from the sky on the cold, shivering earth as they would, one by one, push the demons away with their white, radiating swords of justice; when all of a sudden, one of them fell into a cloud with his wings bleeding. The woman angel flew down to grab him, as he was swallowed, deeper and deeper, by the intense clouds. She managed to reach his grip and started to flap her wings desperately towards the entrance of the gate. A muffled sound sizzled near her years, when one of the demons threw an arrow towards her, piercing her heart.

The whole sky darkened and an infinite hole seemed to appear in the middle of it. A lingering sunbeam came out, striking all the demons and leaving no trace of life, when an unexpected rose petal rain started to pour on the clouds. The other angels came out to see what had happened and gazed at the sky as a small angel fell down through the whole on a white, shiny cloud covered in red, soft rose petals…they took her up in their shivering hands, raised her to the skies above, with a slightly scared and amazed smile on the top of their lips. The two other angels were now lying near the gates. The wounded man, trying to hold his pair's head up so she could see, took his last breath with two words coming gently out of his mouth: "Thank you."

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Years have passed since then and peace became closer to being a possibility than an untouchable illusion. The child, that had once been brought to Heaven, turned into a shy and fragile girl, the girl became a beautiful and courageous teenager, but in the end even the teenager reached the age of a woman. She spared not one second of her life, always on a rush in raising herself up, as well as she could, under the guidance of the elder angels. If at the beginning she had little friends, she had now become one of the most appreciated and respected angels; but the only person, that had never left her side thorough all of these years, was her childhood friend and confidant, Renji. But now, as another stage of their lives had arrived, their destinies were bent to intertwine…or so they thought…

"Rukia?Rukia?" 'Where could she have gone this time', Renji asked himself, while looking desperately for her through the white chambers of the main hall…but she was nowhere to be found…

"You still can't trace her spiritual power…After all these years and she's still an unreachable sight for you, Renji, isn't she?", a light voice whispered in his ear.  
He did not need to turn his head towards the place where the voice came from, because he already knew who that angel was.

"I don't seem to be the only one." he said with a defensive voice, opening the gates of Heaven, without even caring if the angel had heard him. 'That Hitsugaya, he never stops bugging me, does he?' he thought.

He slammed the gates behind him, spreading his large wings in the vernal sunset and raising himself slightly from the clouds to look for her. But there she was…sitting on a small, glimmering cloud, with her back at the reddish sky, gazing at the world beneath her. She didn't seem to care that it was slowly turning dark and that the icily, silver moon was slipping through the clouds, closer to her. She didn't seem to care at all…while her thoughts were slowly falling out of her, in the deep abyss.

"You needn't have come after me. I can manage on my own now and I don't need you as my guardian angel. You seem to have forgotten that I am one", she slowly let the words get out of her mouth. She didn't seem to care too much, comparing to him, as if being there alone would be the most natural thing for her at the moment. He took another step, trying to reach her with his eyes, but not too close to be considered an offence towards the still young angel.

"You are my most priceless possession, the most important person to me and I won't take the risk of anything happening to you. You should know that by now." Renji retorted warmly." I won't give into impulse and let your life hanging on destiny's thread. Not now. Not when we are so close to becoming one."

A moment of utterly silence covered the air around them. Then, with a rough, but still so beautiful and touching look, she turned her face towards him and without even sketching a trace of sentiment she lifted herself up from the small cloud.

"The fact that I have been chosen to be your pair, does not mean that you possess me.", she cut him off as politely as possible. "There is nothing in the world that could change who I am and what I choose to be. You should have known that by now, too." she spread her beautiful, long wings soaring through the clouds and leaving him behind.

"I know that, but I still have hope. Leave me hope. I beg of you. Leave me hope." Renji whispered in an almost crying, low voice.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The yearning light of a new day squeezed itself through the curtains of her small, beige chamber, impiously tickling her long, arched eyelashes in a continuous attempt of awaking her. She just couldn't understand how inconsiderate the sun could be with her every morning, but she knew that it was time to face reality again and to wake up from her lazy dreams. The importunate light, still toying with her, finally imposed itself, impelling her to greet a new day. As always, she indulged and fell into its game. The entire room was flooded with light within a second, as she pulled the curtains away with a singular, short gesture of her hand. The air though, was smothering. There was an awkward pressure in the air, almost suffocating her. She slightly opened the window and took a deep breath, while gazing with her eyes half-opened at the newly risen sun. She felt at ease again. There was nothing that could bother her in that moment, nor make her adjourn the tremendous pleasure of just lying there. Not a sound…only the songs of the vivid little birds flying near her window.

Suddenly the door to the entrance was slammed to the wall. A peculiar shadow came closer to her as she stepped away listless from the window. Renji stepped in quietly, as almost trying to make up for the rude gesture of opening the door so impetuously.

" I see you've just awaken. Good, good… There are a lot of things that need to be discussed between us…especially about yesterday evening…"he said in an almost timid voice, avoiding eye contact.

Rukia stood still, facing him with utmost tranquillity shining from her eyes, looking through him as if he weren't even there.

"There's nothing special about yesterday evening," she quietly answered him, before he could even tell her what was on his mind. "Do we really have to do this now? I haven't even had breakfast…and I need my strength, you know?" she continued with a petit smile, easily evading the subject as if nothing had happened between them.

'Yes, we do have to this now!' he wanted to say, wishing she would for once choose to alleviate his agony, without artfully alluring him away from his imperishable dilemma: the two of them. For a second, he thought he had the power to respond to this impetus, but it turned out to be no more than an illusion. As much as Renji would have wanted to cross over the bridge separating their two worlds, he seemed to lack the audacity. He never seemed to find the way to overcome the insuperable precipice between them. So he restrained his feelings once more and said nothing of which he wanted to.

"Ok, sounds great." He said while trying to hide that dumb simper from his face. What else, could he had said to her? It's not like he could have told her to stop avoiding him, when she had that delicate, alluring smile on her face. Once more he felt he was impelled to leave his innermost anguish fade away. And he did.

But she spotted him and grabbed his hand, leading the way outside her room. She always knew how to make him forget about his worries.

The dining room was completely empty, as they seemed to be the only ones there. Late as always, what else could have been expected.

"What did you want to talk to me about yesterday? A new attack? I do hope that if there is one, you will tell me and I won't be left aside like last time," she said while drinking her milk and before having another bite from her sandwich.

"I just…you know…never mind…nothing important really, just another stupid thing of mine." He gradually regained his calm. "Don't bother yourself with it" he retorted, though it was clearly obvious that he was the one bothered by the way the discussion had turned around. "And no, there hasn't been an attack for months. So don't worry about all this war stuff." Renji tried to push the uncomfortable feeling away as if she could forget the way he reacted earlier.

"Well then, that's great…in a way…" She lowered her voice with a slight tone of regret.

"In a way? What do you mean? We are finally reaching the point of putting an end to all this chaos."

"Well yes, sure, as you say…"

"Really now?" He asked, seeing it hard to believe her.

"YES…really" she calmed herself, realising that she had once again raised her voice, becoming restless at hearing this subject rise again. "You know how I feel, so why are you even starting this discussion again? You already know how I've always wanted to catch those lousy bastards that killed my parents the day I was born" she continued, fearing that if she wouldn't have been sincere to him this discussion would have turned into an endless one. And she was probably right…

"Why Kuchicki Rukia…I never thought that one of our brightest angels would ever use such rough and inadequate language…" a familiar voice stroked her.

She raised her eyes from the handkerchief, in which she was hiding her look in complete shock. For the next two seconds, she was unable to react in any way, but as Renji pinched her hand softly, she rapidly awoke from her astonishment and jumped on her feet, hiding her face in the ground again.

"Byakuya-sama! I…well…I didn't mean to…"she was stuttering of emotion. "It just…slipped." She continued in a slower voice, talking more to herself than addressing the elder angel.

He didn't seem to hear the last part as he was already reaching for the exit, on the verge of leaving the dining room. "Thank God!" she thought, sighing in relief.

"I sure hope it just slipped." The elder continued, seeming that he heard clearly every word she said. " It must be from all these emotions of getting married so young or maybe the fact that you'll have to face life differently after being married…either way, I do hope you'll deal with it properly" he ended, leaving them staring at their feet, blushing shamefully.

Hours passed as they kept on staying there, barely touching their food after the unpleasant and shameful position they had been put in earlier. The clock stroked 12, when her alarm clock started yelling all of a sudden. She barely looked at Renji and jumped up from the table, as if it were an explosion, spilling almost the whole meal on her white satin dress. 'Damn it! I'm going to be late!' She told herself, while taking off in a hurry, never bothering to look back.

"Oi…Rukiaaaa…what's wrong? What happened? Where are you going?" Renji yelled after her, astonished by her sudden reaction.

"I'll be back soon. Don't worry…Enjoy your breakfast." A low voice came flowing closer to him from the distance.

'Not today, God. Please, not today.' She prayed, while turning left rapidly over the corner, pushing everyone aside as if she had been struck by lightning. She started running faster and faster, forcing herself over the edge, hoping for it all to end. The road seemed ceaseless and everything around her was sturing like in the middle of a mind-boggling whirl. Finally her eyes met the ivory door only 10 metres away from her. With her last breath, she struggled to reach it and pushed it open.

"I'm so …so …sorry. I …totally lost track of time. It …will…never happen again. I…promise!" She answered barely catching her breath.

She didn't even bother to look around as she entered the Hall of Judgement in such a rush. Stunned by seeing all of the angel captains waiting for her, Rukia walked in timidly, trying to conceal her astonishment.

"We sure hope it won't. Maybe being sent to Purgatory will sharpen your instincts and you won't lose track of time so easily." A toneless voice rose from the background, reaching her ears.

"Excuse me? " Her face turned blank all at once, as she didn't seem to understand what he meant. "Purgatory?"

"Well yes. Don't be so surprised. Why did you think we called you here today, to help you find a wedding gown? Kuchiki Rukia, you have been appointed for your first mission. We all expect no less than we know you have to offer."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Purgatory?" She repeated to herself automatically, as if her brain couldn't process the information properly. "I mean, yes of course. But still, why there?" She struggled between the astonishment and lack of understanding, which she was confronting with at the sound of this proposal; not quite sure, if what she had just heard was real and not her imagination flowing wildly.

"It's simple: you have to retrieve one of the lost souls from there and bring him back to the Court of Justice before the beginning of September. This soul's case needs to be discussed in the court and a final sentence must be given as soon as possible." Yamamoto explained briefly, as if there wasn't anything special in entering the world that separates Heaven from Hell.

"You mean I'll be gone for 4 months?" She continued, as if all she had heard until that precise moment was only the most unimportant part of it all.

"Is it to long for you to search for him? We can, of course, shorten the trip for you by 3 months, if you consider yourself capacitated enough of retrieving a spirit that has no spiritual power left and that can barely be sensed four meters away?" Gin interfered on an ironical tone as always.

"No I didn't mean that …" Rukia forced herself out of the ignoble situation she had just put herself into, by asking such a dumb and irrelevant question.

"That's what I thought." Gin ended letting a large, irritating grin spread over his face.

"Well…that being said, there is nothing left for us to tell you, except that we wish to see this mission dealt with the uttermost seriousness and precision. Good luck!" Yamamoto ended, leaving no space for further discussions.

"Thank you." Rukia answered mechanically, almost failing to acknowledge what she had just got herself into. She then stepped quietly towards the ivory door, which had once been the wall between her and her most restless desires, pushing it slightly open.

"Ah and one more thing Rukia…You should consider the fact that this soul is a former demon. His human name was Kurosaki Ichigo." Yamamoto added this last detail, as she was just exiting the Hall of Justice.

'Why on earth should I care about a demon's former name? It's not like they keep them after entering Hell…' She thought.

"You should, because this demon has refused to be called as one or act as one, even though he was condemned to spend the rest of his soul life in Hell. He has been abandoned in Purgatory after many dreadful years of torment in Hell. He is not an ordinary creature, so don't let his human looks fool you, Kuchiki." The unexpected answer to her unspoken question came.

'Human look? What in Hell are they talking about? Demons never keep the look they had as human beings. It's impossible! Unless…unless he was sent to Purgatory for not obeying the rules and withstanding the transformation. But that's, that's impossible…Even a strong angel that is captured by a demon can barely hold against being transformed, let alone humans that are sent to Hell after committing abominable crimes during their mortal lives.' She kept on telling herself, entirely disregarding the fact that she was yet on the verge of leaving and was now just staying still facing the exit, as if all of her motor senses were retained.

„Time is passing, Kuchiki…tomorrow at dawn we expect you to be ready for the passing. Don't bother taking anything with you, as you won't find it necessary in a place which absorbs spiritual power." Yamamoto finally spoke, trying to awake her from the trance she had just fallen into. And it seemed to work, Rukia gathering her last drop of serenity and closing the door behind her. She didn't really know what had just happened, but she was trying hard to recall the entire discussion in her mind.

'I've waited so long for an occasion like this to appear and they send me to Purgatory to retrieve the soul of a renegade demon. Damn it! Are they mocking me, trusting that I will need to be careful in capturing a wretched soul like that, with no power at all?' frustration was now spilling out of her, though she was desperately trying to find comfort in the fact that she was finally assigned on her first mission. 'I guess he needs a proper soul burial after all. He can't be left lingering between the two worlds forever and if he was thrown out of Hell, total elimination must be the answer…What a loss of time."

She fled from the chamber, still trying to understand what was the point in going on a dull mission like that. Frustration was no longer a problem, being overwhelmed by worries and doubt. So many unanswered questions that she had omitted. But it was too late now for regrets or any other foolish form of uncertainty. She turned the corner still drawn in her deep thoughts, when she realized she had just bumped into something. It was Renji.

"So…what did they say?" Renji let his anxiety show without further ado.

"You knew about this all along and told me nothing of it?" Rukia questioned him, pushing him violently in the nearest wall, barely ceasing her own anxiety.

"Well, I was forbidden to tell you anything before they did. Orders are orders." Renji tried to justify himself.

„Everyday you sound so much like my brother. Why do I even bother with you anymore?" the nervous look from her face was now replaced by one of profound disappointment.

She let go of her grip and headed back on the road she was first facing.

"Rukia! Wait!" Renji yelled after her.

„No Renji! There is nothing left unsaid between us and I won't leave space for any excuses this time. If you're interested, my departure is tomorrow at dawn at the Passing of Souls. What am I talking about? You must already know everything and as always, I am the last one to find out." She ended without even turning her face towards him.

It was not the first time when she was leaving him behind, but in a way, this time he felt as if she had really meant to do so. A few seconds later and he could barely see her brittle shadow sliding in the distance.

'I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you. It's better this way. You'll see…' He ended and spread his wings in an unsuccessful attempt of leaving this whole event behind him.

The night crawled in rapidly, leaving even the smallest shade of light fade away quietly in the vivid sunset. Frail, flickering stars crowded the dark sky within seconds, barely leaving any space for the pale moon. A windy breeze gently guided everyone into their own chambers. Rukia though didn't seem to be bothered by it. She stood quietly outside her room, on the cold, trembling ground, gazing at the stars as they cascaded over the endless pool of darkness. The wind started blowing violently, toying with her suave tresses of hair, but she wouldn't move an inch. She kept on lying there, staring at the belated sun as it strained itself on the blue sky, pushing the persistent image of this lonely night away.

A beam of light rose at the horizon, signalling the brake of a new day. A small, delicate smile seemed to appear on the corner of her lips as she raised herself carelessly from the ground. It was hope or maybe the result when realizing that there is no astute way of opposing this treacherous fate.

After shortly entering her chamber, Rukia came out again, this time hardly recognizable, with a large cape sheltering her frail silhouette. The cape was covering her completely, making it impossible for her to spread her wings while wearing it. That though didn't seem to trouble her, as she passed swiftly along the stony alleys leading towards the Passing of Souls. Curiously on time for once, Rukia greeted everybody who was waiting for her with a soft smile. For him though, it seemed to be a false one, Renji sensing her uncomfortable state of uncertainty miles away.

All the angel captains were present. Renji though, didn't have the courage to wait for her in front, so he kept himself distant as she stepped gently towards the Passing of Souls. The long, black, silk mantle now covering her white dress, made it so hard to distinguish her traits under it; but Renji knew how she felt. He knew it was her. A bit frightened and hectic, but it was her.

She moved closer to the captains, exchanging a few words with each of them. Hinamori pulled her in a tight embrace and let a small, shivering tear slide on her chick. Seeing that it was all getting too sentimental, Yamamoto intruded, handing Rukia a silver medallion, before she could pull back the dark hood over her head.

"You'll need this to keep your spiritual powers when you enter Purgatory and to be able to cast an immobilizing spell over the demon. Whatever you do, don't take it off from your neck!" He added.

"Ay!" Rukia nodded in acceptance and then moved closer to the door.

„It's going to be over in a few seconds. You won't feel anything, just a slow dizziness from the turbulence." Yamamoto ended folding her petit hand in his with a parental gesture.

Rukia sighed in fear and passed through the open door, making a deafening sound behind her. A blast of light burst in her face, making it impossible for her to keep her eyes opened. Though she couldn't see, she could feel as if she was raised from the ground without using her wings, floating gently. Two minutes later, the awkward feeling stopped, as she found herself lying on the ground, in the middle of a valley immersed in poppy flowers. She opened her eyes delicately to see that Purgatory looked similar to the image of earth in its thriving period. An abundance of salient smells induced her to take a deep breath. The view from where she stood was overwhelming: hills of endless green stretching for miles over the earth, pierced over places by meandering lines of water.

As amazing as it all looked, she knew that her purpose here was not to admire the Creator's piece of art, so she started walking as soon as she regain her force. For days she walked through the deep forests, looking for a trace of life, hoping for it all to end. Today though, the sun was shining more powerful than ever and she was starting to feel as if she would faint from all the heat surrounding her. She climbed on a high cliff to gaze at the surroundings once more, before recommencing her journey.

To her astonishment, a human-like figure seemed to form itself in front of her. Down, at the foot of the mountain, a shallow image was floating in the glaring light.

"That must be him!" She thought while hastening her steps down over the cliff, towards the moving shadow. She tried to run faster, but she found it quite difficult to advance when all her powers were limited. She finally reached the place, which she was aiming, but there was no one there.

'It couldn't have been an illusion! The image was blurry indeed, but I was almost certain that there was someone staying right here.' She thought while catching her breath.

Suddenly a soothing warmness rushed in her small, frail body, enveloping her. She felt as if the calming and refreshing breeze of the wind, for which she had yearned so deeply, was once again caressing her rose cheeks. A feeling so relaxing, so serene that had made her feel at ease again, was now drowning her every sense. At first she thought that all the walking and searching had got to her, but she rapidly realized that it wasn't that. The feeling of almost falling asleep didn't bother her, but the fact that she couldn't move was troublesome. With her last remnant of power, she gazed down to see a hand raping tightly around her waist and then a smooth tress of auburn hair tickling her chick. A small whisper then slinked in her ear:

„So soon already?"

So there it is: the 3rd chapter to my story. I'm sorry for the late update, but I hope u guys enjoy reading it. I want to thank u for R&R and I'm expecting more reviews after this chap.

Ah and I must say I'm sorry BlackSun-WhiteMoon for disappointing you, but no, Ichigo didn't kill her parents, nor any other angels, as I've just explained in this chap, he was sent to Hell, but he opposed to being transformed into a demon. Other clues will be unfolded within the next chapters. :P

Thanks again to everyone and hope I'm not boring u :D…see u at chapter 4!


	4. Chapter 4

Oh my GOD…I can't believe I've finally finished writing this chapter. I was so obsessed by the way I wanted it to be, that it took me a long time to decide if it's ready or not. I hope you'll like it and that you'll feel it was worth waiting for my late update.

Shantou : the name of the medallion Yamamoto has given her.

Jadeb and BlackSun-WhiteMoon: I've only added that short explication in order to make things clear, though I thought that Rukia's discussion with the elders and her thoughts will eventually lead you to the fact that a person, who withstands the transformation into a demon, means that he has not become one and therefore could not have killed her parents (them being angels, who were attacked by demons). I hope I got it straight this time, because of course I don't want to reveal anything about my story to you, that has not been written …yet

Thank you all for reading and special thanks to my reviewers: jadeb, BlackSun-WhiteMoon, Syn, Painting.In.Blood, Hisana. You're all invited to the special party I'm throwing after all this is over.

Enough with the chatting and go read my new chap! 

OoooooooooOoooooOoooooOoooooooooO

Chapter 4

A swift, cool breeze invaded the air, saliently wrapping around her small, frail silhouette and straining itself in every corner of her body. It was warm, still; not the same soothing warmness that had first urged her to fall in this deep slumber, but it was ever so pleasant. She felt as if she could lie there forever, surrendering her body to the unbound pleasure of this warm embrace. She moved her head softly to the side, letting the smooth surface beneath her, caress her face, as if deepening her frame in a soft, silky pillow. Her mind was telling her it was time to cease this absurd dream state, but there was something about it that made it so hard for her to brake free and let reality prevail again. Finally, a tinge of curiosity slid by her senses and slyly persuaded her to crack an eye open. That though was of no use, as a veil of darkness was wrapped around her eyes and she could barely see. She then rose from the ground spreading her beautifully large, violet eyes wide open. It took a minute, or two, before she could adjust her sight to the wan light and managed to come to her senses, but the prolonged pause was worth every second of delay. She could now see …

It wasn't the earth she had fallen asleep on, nor was it the warmth of the sun that had delighted her lazy sleep. It couldn't have been, since she was no longer on the high cliff she last remembers climbing. She felt as if her breath had stopped. Amazement poured out of her stunned look, though finding oneself on a blanket made out of animal fur could not be the cause. She couldn't believe her eyes when she found herself gazing high in an endlessly deep cave. Resplendent stones glowed in the dark making the entire place easily mistaken for a large adamant room. With her mouth half opened, she stood there, staring as the radiant crystals hanging from the rough, drenched walls reflected the sunlight on the ground beneath her naked feet. It was hard for her to understand how she had got there; nonetheless she gradually regained her sanity and started inspecting the place. There wasn't much to see though, the only things beside the blanket she had awaken on being a hand-made wooden table, with two chairs, a locked coffer and a rug made out of bear fur, laid near the entrance of the cave.

It then struck her: she wasn't alone and the fact that she had awaken here and could not remember a thing was because she hadn't got here on her own in the first place. Without wasting one more second of her time, she rapidly ran towards the entrance, as it seemed to be not only the single source of light in this sinister place, but also the single way out of it. Luckily for her that she had stopped on time and managed to maintain her balance from falling off the high mountain on which she found herself stranded on. She started searching desperately with her eyes for a way to get down, but she saw none. She then sighed in defeat and moved her gaze towards the afternoon sun, which was now glowing ardently in the middle of the ocean-blue sky, when she saw it. At first she thought it was a mere bird swinging its wings in the fleeting wind, but as it approached she realised it must be something else. Before she could even distinguish what it was, struggling hard to cover her eyes from the stinging sunbeams, it landed just in front of her. A tall, young figure resembling a teenager that had yet to become a man then pulled his hand from the ground on which he had landed and straitened up his bent legs.

"Leaving so soon?" a stern voice raised from the lips of the newly arrived guest as he uncovered his face from the cloth that kept it from being revealed, letting a softer look, than the tone of his voice could have described, to be seen. Ruffled, auburn tresses of hair were now dancing freely in the wind, almost covering two eyes of a hazel brown she had never seen before. The look in his eyes was so deep, so overwhelming, it said so much and in the same time it seemed to keep inconceivable secrets well locked from foreign sight. Seconds, moments or may be even minutes had passed before Rukia realised that she had been left speechless, gazing in his eyes.

"Get out of my way you fool" she retorted while pushing him aside, trying to conceal her reaction as soon as she came to her senses; but was stopped when his hand pulled her back, restraining her from flash stepping down the mountain.

"Don't be in such a rush to get down, unless you expect that you'll reach the ground alive with not a speck of spiritual power" the seemingly young man continued without loosening his grip.

With a swift movement of her hand, she reached for her neck, touching her smooth skin in search of her Shantou. 'This can't be happening' she thought, while forcing herself to acceptance. The necklace that Yamamoto had given her was no longer adorning her long, slim neck. A ferocious desire to punish the rogue that had dared to take it away from her was born, as soon as she realised that he had been the culprit.

"Why you…" she raised both her hands to grab his neck, but he took hold of her wrists before she could even lay a finger on him.

"Now, now…Watch your tongue before saying something you could regret afterwards." He grinned loosening his grip and entering the cave.

Her wrath had gone dumb for a second, while trying to recover from the astonishment. Even without her Shantou, Rukia knew that she had a great deal of spiritual power and that an amount so big could not fade away after only a few days in Purgatory. Even so, he had blocked her attack so easily. 'How could that be?' she thought, trying to maintain her offensive position, without revealing her doubts and fears.

"Who do you think you are you filthy creature, talking to me as if you'd own me?" she finally retorted as she stepped forward.

"Ichigo. Kurosaki Ichigo, but for you, master will do."

As offended as she normally would have felt at the sound of a remark as stupid as this, she restrained herself from reacting in any way. That though wouldn't have been a problem, when feeling her body freeze at the sound of these two simple words. 'It can't be him. He's merely a kid… a spoiled, cocky brat by a matter-of-fact, but still a child' a voice echoed in her mind as she just stood there, at the entrance of the cave, without moving an inch. He was young indeed and though he was somewhere between the passing from a youngster to a more mature person, he did not exceed the age of 20 after her speculations. Even so, that was not the only thing that made the gap between them turn into a precipice. She too had the look of a young female of his age, but thinking at the different process of aging she was submitted to, it kept her looking at him as if dealing with a fastidious child.

"Well, don't just stand there. Get inside before the wind blows you away and you'll fall without even having me throwing you from these high cliffs" Ichigo added, seeing that she hadn't moved once since he had divulged his name and the only thing she could do was stare at him with a pair of two beautiful eyes, as if she had seen a ghost.

"Idiot" she answered in a whisper, that being mainly the reason why her insult had not reached his ears and entered the cave.

"And more over, stop walking around as if you'd own the place. After all you are my prisoner and if you haven't awaken with your hands and feet tied up to a chair yet, it's because I thought there's no point in wasting useful rope when there's no way to descend from this height." He added, displaying a well-acted indifference while in her presence.

"You idiot. You have 1 minute to give me back my Shantou and lower me down from here or I'll…"

"You'll what? Bit the crap out of me or kill me? Stop mumbling stupid things or I might just lose my temper. And we wouldn't like a thing like that to happen, would we?" he cut her off with a notably large scowl spreading over his forehead and a devilish mocking grin.

"Are you implying that if I don't keep my mouth shut and refuse to remain here, I'll be the one who ends up hurt?" Rukia managed to answer his challenge, regaining her courage.

"Don't be stupid, it's not like I would get my hands dirty with the likes of you. You would probably die from the impact when hitting the ground. But if you're in such a rush to leave, be my guest."

"You stubborn fool, if you won't accept my offer and lower me down, somebody will soon come after me. And I don't suppose you'll be able to save yourself then, will you? You don't have the guts to keep me as a prisoner!"

"Oh really?" She had managed to touch a sensible cord it seems, as he raised himself from the chair he was resting in and sent a death-glare her way at the sound of these words. "Just watch me." He continued while lifting himself from the ground and flying away from the cave he had just landed in minutes ago.

"Come back you moron! I'll kill you with my bare hands if you don't return this instant and lower me down." A fainted voice echoed in his years as he outdistanced himself even more.

She knew from the very second he had spoken to her that a thing like this would not menace him, but that hadn't stopped her from acting the way she did.

There was nothing left for her to do now and Rukia knew it, so she gently sneaked back in her new shelter. She lowered her body on the soft bed he had made for her, keeping her head in the palms of her hands and thinking of a way to escape this absurd situation. For hours she had tried to find a way to recover her Shantou and regain her freedom, but no pleasing idea came to her mind. It was slowly getting dark outside and though she had refused to leave the thinking position she was now in, she could see the sun slipping gently through the clouds; and yet no sight of him. 'What if he's left me here to starve to death and he'll never return?' the simple thought of never seeing him again, curiously shattered any possible attack she had thought of using on him in all these silent hours. She might not be able to regain her Shantou very soon, but facing death (even at her age) was not part of her plans. She was not prepared for it and she knew that much. Even so, after all these troubling events, exhaustion was catching up with her and she no longer felt capable of worrying about herself. Without noticing a thing, her body slipped in a sleeping position, with her head now resting on the furry blanket. She struggled hard not to do so, but it was too late. She had fallen asleep.

OooooOooooO

There was silence. The roar of the wind reaching her ears managed though to take her away from her sleep. Rukia then realised that she had been stolen from her dreams once more. The memories of this passing day then came barging in her head without notice, making it even harder for her to remain hidden in her dreams. She opened her eyes with a small attempt of raising herself from the ground, which had rapidly failed when she saw him; lying there, with his back resting on the cold, adamant entrance's wall. He just stood there…silently…gazing at the night sky, following with the corner of his eye every movement of the bright stars above him.

He seemed to have failed to notice her while she was watching him from the distance.

Rukia let her head fall back on the soft blanket and released all of her thoughts in deep sleep. It wasn't common of her to spy on people, nor was this feeling that had squeezed itself in her heart. She wouldn't accept it, but she could actually feel the state of ease, that she had lost once with his departure, flowing back into her. He had returned and for the very first time in many, long, lonely nights she felt she was no longer alone…

OoooooooooOoooooOoooooOoooooooooO

I hope it reached your expectations…and please, if you went all this way reading my fic, do leave a review…I really want to know what you think about my fic. Is bribery necessary for you to push that go button to the review page? 


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